Preview — Warm Bodies
by Isaac Marion

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, buR is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between....more

Kindle Edition, Reprint Edition, 270 pages

Published
April 26th 2011
by Atria Books
(first published October 28th 2010)

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R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may…more

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R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.

And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.

*Want more of R and Julie? Be on the lookout for THE NEW HUNGER, the prequel to WARM BODIES, available from Emily Bestler Books 10/6*
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1. It is a zombie book. But not like that. In the spirit of honesty, I had this book as an advanced review copy for literally months before I picked it up. It had glowing reviews from Stephanie Meyer, so I figured it couldn’t be that gross, and a glowing quote from Audrey Niffeneggar, so I figured it had to be well-written. But . . . zombies. Hopeless gore. I have a pretty strict disinterest in zombies that I break only for Carrie Ryan’s books. I’m not going to telTen Reasons to Read WARM BODIES

1. It is a zombie book. But not like that. In the spirit of honesty, I had this book as an advanced review copy for literally months before I picked it up. It had glowing reviews from Stephanie Meyer, so I figured it couldn’t be that gross, and a glowing quote from Audrey Niffeneggar, so I figured it had to be well-written. But . . . zombies. Hopeless gore. I have a pretty strict disinterest in zombies that I break only for Carrie Ryan’s books. I’m not going to tell you this isn’t a zombie book, because it is -- there is brain eating and arms falling off and shotguns and gray matter and OMG WHAT ARE WE GOING TO EAT FOR DINNER - YOU!? and all the traditional zombie nihilism. But I will tell you this: it doesn’t feel like a zombie book.

2. R, the narrator. What really makes this book not feel like a zombie book is that it’s told from R’s point of view -- and he’s a zombie. It’s not glorified or toned down, but R makes the book different because he’s different. Somewhere in the core of his zombie brain, there’s a bit of R left, and watching that struggle against the delightfully metaphorical zombiesm is just . . . lovely and agonizing. In a good way.

3. Did I mention metaphor? Well, let me do it again. The metaphor that the zombies stand for is not deeply hidden in WARM BODIES, and it’s equal parts lesson and warning. It also happens to be something I deeply, deeply believe in. I don’t want to say it’s about self actualization, because who even knows what that means outside of a Meg Ryan movie. It’s about living life to the fullest and feeling everything you can and not being afraid. Maybe that does sound a little like a Meg Ryan movie.

4. It’s short. It’s not that I don’t like long books -- I love ‘em. But there was something very satisfying about reading this perfectly paced slender novel in three or four hours. It makes me think I’m going to do it again.

5. The book begins with R saving a girl -- Julie -- from certain death from both himself and other zombies. Oh how easy it would be for this to descend into pure cheesiness. How easy it would be for them to stop being real people. How easy it would be for Julie to be a construct instead of a real girl worth saving. But Isaac Marion veers away from all that. If at some points R becomes dangerously sentimental, it’s noted with a wry smile. It’s all rather delightful at some points. There’s one scene that’s sort of . . . Wall-E with dead people.

6. R’s so nice. No, really. He’s like . . . nice. If he wasn’t dead, I’d be all, what a nice boy you are, playing Sinatra for your girlfriend.

7. Pretty prose bonus round! “I dream my necrotic cells shrugging off their lethargy, inflating and lighting up like Christmas deep in my dark core. Am I inventing all this like the beer buzz? A placebo? An optimistic illusion? Either way, I feel the flatline of my existence disrupting, forming heartbeat hills and valleys.”

8. There’s a Mercedes convertible in it. As if we even NEED reasons 1-7 or 9-10 anymore.

9. No, really, really, it does not read like a zombie book. Your mom would read it. Probably. Well, it really depends on your mom. Back up. Have I steered you wrong before? No. No, I haven’t.

10. You’ve been looking for a book where you finish it with a smile on your face, haven’t you? I know it. Well, this is it. ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.The protagonist of Warm Bodies is R, a zombie who cannot remember his name beyond that single letter. He is verbose compared to other zombies, although his main recreation is still riding escalators around the airport in which he lives. I kind of felt like the escalator riding was a shout out to Dawn of the Dead and it made me happy. The first few chapters of the book are the strongest parts of the book. I think they must have been polished over and over again and they contrast the rest of the bThe protagonist of Warm Bodies is R, a zombie who cannot remember his name beyond that single letter. He is verbose compared to other zombies, although his main recreation is still riding escalators around the airport in which he lives. I kind of felt like the escalator riding was a shout out to Dawn of the Dead and it made me happy. The first few chapters of the book are the strongest parts of the book. I think they must have been polished over and over again and they contrast the rest of the book so sharply that it can only suffer in comparison. Still, R's thoughts are a little too well-connected for a zombie, which made me feel like it was a mistake to tell this first person. The book would have been more of a success with me if his evolution from man eater to Romeo was a little more gradual instead of part way there. Given the number of pages we go through before we meet R's love interest and the catalyst for all the changes he goes through, I think he ought to have been more... zombie-ish.

The zombies didn't feel much like zombies to me. They had the ability to form relationships, albeit very basic ones, and to have a somewhat structured community. There was a church in which R is married and there is a school that his adopted children attend to learn how to be better zombies. The logic behind this is that children lack the instincts to be good zombies, to know how to kill and where to bite. Ummm I didn't really buy that too much. If next to none of their personality and memories are retained wouldn't a child zombie just be so many infected cells directed by the virus? This is one of those books where I had to buckle up and stop asking questions because I wasn't going to get any decent answers.

After the intial zombie world establishing is out of the way the story is just a weird retelling of Romeo and Juliet. If Bella constantly comparing herself to Juliet in New Moon annoyed you then this book will probably give you a rage blackout. You'd think after New Moon a book couldn't be more in your face about retelling that story, but you'd be wrong. Sure, Bella and Edward watch the movie all cuddled up together and he repeats the play line for line in her ear at the beginning of New Moon, but at least Stephanie Meyer didn't give Bella the middle name Juliet to like seal the freaking deal.

R(omeo) kills (and eats) Perry (Paris) who is trying to protect his girlfriend Julie(t). In Isaac Marion's world zombies enjoy brains because it gives them brief flashes of human memory. R gets Perry's memories of Julie. Essentially all he knows about Julie beyond that she's warm and delicious is from Perry. Perry's memories and feelings for Julie motivate R to save her, even attacking his bestest zombie buddy M(ercutio). And since I want to get my effing Romeo and Juliet references out of the way now, I'm just going to let you know Julie's best friend is named Nora. Nora wants to be a nurse. I thought all the Romeo and Juliet crap was done by the time I got to Nora and I almost had a seizure when I realized there was more. Believe me, I'm sparing you by telling you in advance.

There are more Romeo and Juliet references sprinkled throughout the book with all the finesse of a two-year-old flower girl throwing balled up, crumpled hunks of flower petals on the floor as she stomps her little way toward the alter, but none of them bothered me as much as the repetitive transparency of the names.

So, back to R and Julie. He saves her from M (who Julie calls a 'fat fuck' for the rest of the book), smears dead blood all over her face to hide her from the zombies and takes her back to zombie HQ at the airport. Julie goes along with this because her options are kind of limited to R or being devoured by a pack of zombies. I don't really know how she managed it without hysterics, the story is told more or less from R's POV, but she was a little too levelheaded about the whole experience given that her boyfriend and most of her friends just became chow.

R shoves Julie inside the airplane he lives in to keep her safe from the other zombies. He goes off to hang out with M. Together they eat the brain of another teenage boy who had been in the group with Julie and Perry. The experience isn't anything extremely altering for R, but luckily he's still got some of Perry to gnaw on. You see, he didn't eat all of Perry's brain in one sitting. No, he carries the rest around with him to much on slowly so he can, um, savor the experience? Sorry, bad Lucy.

Again, R experiences Perry's memories of Julie and this is where the author fumbles. I can forgive the cheesy quality of retelling Romeo and Juliet. I can forgive a zombie society that actually is a society, but there comes a point when as an author you have to man up and deal with the circumstances of the story you're writing. R is a zombie. Zombies are monsters. R is a monster. He ate a teenage boy who loved Julie and he is IMMEDIATELY and CONSTANTLY absolved of any guilt.

Perry's life force was either so vibrant that it changed R or his love for Julie such a unique experience that it changed R, who has eaten hundreds of other brains. Something about Perry was that catalyst, but Perry and Julie's relationship is downplayed forever after as being 'almost over' and his life as something he was pretty much ready to forfeit. This is all done to forgive R. I would have preferred R's story be about finding redemption for what he'd done and learning to fight the virus and change his nature.

By eating Perry's brain, R gets to steal his memories and experiences -- the grief after his mother's death, the world's upheaval, and most importantly meeting and falling in love with Julie. He even experiences the first time Perry and Julie make love. It was creepy and sad and if the author had owned it then the whole thing could have been awesome, but instead we got the constant downplaying and reduction of Perry's life and value as a person. By downplaying Perry's love for Julie and Perry's death all the author did was downplay the catalyst for R's change and the story absolutely, without a fucking doubt, suffered for it.

R is forgiven for Perry's death four or five times throughout this 239 page novel. Oh yeah, I'm quoting some of it baby.

Page 55:"Anyway," she says, "whoever killed Perry... I just want you to know I don't blame them for it."

I tense again. "You... don't?"

"No. I mean, I think I get it. You don't have a choice, right? And tot be honest... I'd never say this to anyone, but..." She stirs her food. "It's kind of a relief that it finally happened."

I frown. "What?"

"To be able to finally stop dreading it."

Yep, don't worrying about eating the first boy she loved. It's better to rip that bandaid off. *rips out hair* Icing for that cake is that it's not long after he's dead. Later in the memories/dreams stirred by consuming Perry's brain the ghost/lingering memory of the dead kid forgives him saying he was ready to go. Later Nora echoes Julie's sentiments about it not really being R's fault since it's the virus. Sometime after Nora absolves him of guilt he finally confesses to Julie and she forgives him for a second time. You can't tell, but I'm rolling my eyes.

Look, Suzanne Collins owned the dark world of The Hunger Games when she brutally killed off (view spoiler)[Rue (hide spoiler)] right in front of us. J.K. Rowling pulled no punches when she threw (view spoiler)[Dumbledore (hide spoiler)] off that tower. R was a monster and Marion should have owned it. If he had let R evolve from being a monster he would have found redemption instead of being handed it on page 55.

Beyond those complaints. R and Julie's romance meant absolutely nothing to me. You can ask what romance when you read it. Julie, all in all, was a bad romantic lead. (view spoiler)[Since she basically ended a zombie apocalypse just by being lovable (hide spoiler)] she should have been more Helen of Troy and less blah. (view spoiler)[Yeah, she changed R so much that it changed the other zombies and broke the virus which miraculously at that stage in the book got called a curse instead of a virus, ah the love of consistency. (hide spoiler)] For me this book failed as a zombie novel and it failed as a romance, which is what it's being marketed as.

There were a few technical problems with the grammar. They weren't rampant problems, but my eye is untrained and I did notice them. Also, Isaac Marion portrays stilted zombie speech with ellipsis so get prepared to never want to see three dots in a row ever again.

Warm Bodies is an amazing looking book. The cover is stunning and inside there are black and white anatomy shots beneath the start of each new chapter. These small inked drawings of various bits of the human body are what you'd find in a biology book, but for some reason they're all the more interesting inside a zombie book. It's a pretty book, but it's also kind of thin to be marked up to $24.00 USD. Most hardcover YA novels are marked on cover as $17.99 or $19.99 so that was a bit of a price jump for a book that is thinner than average.

One star for me, but I can see how other people might like some of it, especially if you're a watered down monsters and classic romance retellings.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

Kyle SteeleI want to read your reviews, but the fact that this is the second one star review I've seen from you leads me to believe that you're a bit jaded withI want to read your reviews, but the fact that this is the second one star review I've seen from you leads me to believe that you're a bit jaded with zombie.

Secondly, why give ANY book one star? I've read hundreds and hundreds of books and I've (magically, I guess) come across a one star book. Words on paper on a semi-logical order is one star. Granted, 5 star books are few and far between. A lot of 3's and 4's.

I just think you're rating needs a bit of empathy. One star is snobby....more
May 18, 2014 12:41PM

Meggiethis is the best book ever and i do not like your opinion
Oct 21, 2014 02:48PM

What makes us human? Is it merely a collection of living flesh and tissue and bone, or is it also consciousness and memory and feeling? R, the young zombie who narrates this novel, isn't really sure. But after meeting Julie, a human girl he impulsively saves and hides away in an abandoned plane, he begins to experience thoughts and feelings that he'd forgotten he'd ever had.

Warm Bodies is a wistful love story that is creepy, sad, sweet, and disturbing in equal measure. The notion that it is possWhat makes us human? Is it merely a collection of living flesh and tissue and bone, or is it also consciousness and memory and feeling? R, the young zombie who narrates this novel, isn't really sure. But after meeting Julie, a human girl he impulsively saves and hides away in an abandoned plane, he begins to experience thoughts and feelings that he'd forgotten he'd ever had.

Warm Bodies is a wistful love story that is creepy, sad, sweet, and disturbing in equal measure. The notion that it is possible to write a philosophical zombie novel seems quite unbelievable, but the author has accomplished this feat with astonishing ease. Being in R's head is a revelatory experience; he is matter-of-fact, pensive, humorous, and troubled at various different times. After his shockingly violent introduction to Julie, he also becomes animated and severely conflicted and full of yearning. A story like this obviously requires that readers suspend a fair amount of disbelief, but the focus here isn't on the technical aspects of survival anyway, but more on the idea that the desire for dignity and tenderness have just as much to do with humanity as does a collection of blood and muscles and cells.

The gentle sentiment in this story took me completely by surprise, especially as it contrasts so sharply with the visceral feedings that keep the zombies alive. The nourishment comes not only from the nutritional content that is necessary for survival, but also from the associated memories and emotions that each morsel of brain matter contains. This startlingly original idea creates an incredible amount of anguish and guilt and longing for R, and as he becomes more and more deeply attached to Julie, it's impossible to remain unmoved by his plight.

I keep saying I'm not a zombie person, but some of the best books I've read recently have featured them in prominent roles. After being blown away by Feed, Deadline, and The Reapers Are the Angels, I wasn't really sure whether there was still another great zombie story I'd be excited about, but Warm Bodies is a brilliant addition to the non-typical horror, intelligent zombie novel canon. I think that the reason these stories have struck such a chord with me is that they're attempting to explore ideas that are bigger than the issues that are actually on the page. Whether the books are delving into the right to information or the value of life or the struggle to keep the human spirit alive, the presence of the zombies is almost incidental. It's the fundamental questions these novels raise about the nature of humans and humanity that make them such great --and moving--works of literature.

I finished this book awhile ago, but I've been avoiding writing my review. The only reason I can think of is that I really don't want my first read glow to go away. You know that time after you read a really spectacular book when you're just sitting around, thinking about how wonderful it was and going over passages you loved? I think I've been doing that for two weeks now. Every time I think about Warm Bodies, I wonder at how good it was.

Warm Bodies follows R, a zombie unlike those we normallyI finished this book awhile ago, but I've been avoiding writing my review. The only reason I can think of is that I really don't want my first read glow to go away. You know that time after you read a really spectacular book when you're just sitting around, thinking about how wonderful it was and going over passages you loved? I think I've been doing that for two weeks now. Every time I think about Warm Bodies, I wonder at how good it was.

Warm Bodies follows R, a zombie unlike those we normally read about. R thinks, deeply, about things, speaks five syllables in a row, and has real dreams. He can't remember his life, but has a fascination with life; longing to know who he was and what he did. When R eats the brain of a teenage boy, he experiences flashbacks into the boy's life, mostly featuring his first love, Julie. R becomes enthralled with Julie and they begin a tenuous relationship unlike any in this barren world before. As Julie and R become closer, both experience impossible changes; changes that could possibly affect the entire world.

Words cannot explain how much I loved R and his voice. From the first page, I knew his narration was different. Because he can't speak but a word or two at a time, most of his narration comes straight from his thoughts. There are pages filled with R simply talking about what he does all day, and it's riveting stuff. My favorite descriptions come when he talks about groaning, mostly in the beginning of the novel.

R is also genuine and eager. Perhaps this is because he's dead, and things can't really get much worse? Whatever reason, it makes him endearing and utterly likeable, despite being a zombie. It's hard to believe I would ever feel anything but disgust for a zombie, but it happened with this book.

I also liked Julie. A lot. She's a kick-butt kind of girl, the kind we don't get to read about much in books where the protagonist is male. The girl can take care of herself. She's also got a sense of humor, something that many authors would be tempted to eliminate when writing a serious zombie novel.

UPDATE: Apparently he's writing a sequel now, so I suppose this doesn't apply anymore... I'm not going to complain! :) Can I also point out that I love that it's a standalone book? Don't get me wrong, I'm a major series lover. But I also just love books and authors that just don't need to leave you aggravated and desperate for a sequel that many times you don't particularly want. I like the way it ended; it was open in a way the reader can interpret for themselves, but in a slightly leading way.

Isaac Marion is taking a different approach to the zombie novel, one that could have been disastrous. Warm Bodies is anything but. It is well-written, poignant, funny, and memorable. Easily my favorite read this year.

I mean, it is about a young adultish human and zombie who fall in love and set about to change the world with love. But this is not a young adult novel.

It has themes of young love and disaffected youth and hopeful new beginnings but this is not a young adult novel, people!

Regardless of what it is, it’s a pretty good novel, but I have a confession. This is going to translate in people’s minds as me being simplistic and unable to handle the deeper, more complicatedThis is not a young adult novel.

I mean, it is about a young adultish human and zombie who fall in love and set about to change the world with love. But this is not a young adult novel.

It has themes of young love and disaffected youth and hopeful new beginnings but this is not a young adult novel, people!

Regardless of what it is, it’s a pretty good novel, but I have a confession. This is going to translate in people’s minds as me being simplistic and unable to handle the deeper, more complicated themes of this book – but I don’t care.

I liked the movie better.

Major fans of the book are going to virulently disagree with me – but I thought it actually managed to streamline the story highly effectively, keeping the spirit of the novel without deviating from anything important. In fact, the way it restructured some events, I actually thought, created a more emotional impact.

But the book itself is still pretty good, though I wonder at some of the weird turns it takes. Like zombie sex. Lots of zombie sex. Nice to know that even zombie women experience objectification. Comforting. Guess some things never change. Objectification and unsatisfying sex straight into the un-life.

R is adorkable, and if I never have to type the word again, it will be too soon. But he is. In the midst of his mid-death crisis with an unfulfilling zombie-marriage and two little tykes to drag him down, life seems empty and unfulfilling. R wants to be alive again. He even gets a sports car and kidnaps a young girlfriend. Luckily, unlike reality, this is fantasy so it’s all okay. As opposed to the time I kidnapped my own young girlfriend and got a sports car. That turned out to be a big mistake.

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I love Julie. I mean, she’s a total idiot, a dreamer and so far removed from reality that it might as well be the third nipple she never had. But she was a wonderful character nonetheless, who I completely adored. I adored everyone, almost as much as I adored the writing. Which was pretty evocative, raw, kind of gross – but in a good way.

The only thing I struggled with in this book was that I felt the pacing and overall narrative flow of the movie made so much more sense and was a lot tighter, stronger and more powerful. Otherwise, if you like zombies, existential crises, stories of young people improbably overcoming impossible circumstances and weird zombie sex, then this is the book for you!

What an entertaining delight! I first heard of this book through the movie trailer. I was very skeptical about this, yet oddly curious at the same time. A zombie who falls in love.... I did not know what to expect getting into this. What I ended up experiencing was a story like no other.

'R' is a zombie with personality. Not very common, right? Even the other zombies think he is odd. He longs for memories...for life. When he eats the brain of a young man named Perry and saving a human girl, thi What an entertaining delight! I first heard of this book through the movie trailer. I was very skeptical about this, yet oddly curious at the same time. A zombie who falls in love.... I did not know what to expect getting into this. What I ended up experiencing was a story like no other.

'R' is a zombie with personality. Not very common, right? Even the other zombies think he is odd. He longs for memories...for life. When he eats the brain of a young man named Perry and saving a human girl, things begin to change for him. He gets flashbacks of Perry's life, giving him a familiarity to the girl, Julie, he saved. He learns of Perry's relationship to Julie and his own feelings toward her begin to manifest themselves.

The writing is very well done. There is a certain eloquence to the artistic imaging Isaac Marion has set up for us. The story is all told from R's perspective. While his spoken words may be few, his thoughts are many. He has am amusing, dry sense of humor that keeps the reader engaged in what is happening around him. We see his life at the airport, including a marriage, adopting kids, and even zombie "sex." Let me tell you, never have I heard of such things working the was they do in a zombie society. Then again, I never read of a zombie society. So this was a very unique experience.

The only downside for this was that while the first half to two-thirds of the books were well written and is almost poetic in nature, the rest seems more rushed. The world seems to lose its aspect, the writing style itself even seems to shift. Maybe it was because r didn't know what to think of his own thoughts by this point. Personally though, I wish the story was drawn out a bit more to give the same attention to the ending that the beginning received.

So, overall, I was quite happy with this one. If you have seen the movie, yet never read the book: Go read the book. Much better than the movie. The humor and personality portrayed is beautiful here. Very creative storytelling. ...more

Now multiply that feeling of disgust by ten. Or even better, by a hundred. Oookay. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty nauseous here.

If you’ve got it, try thinking of a way to make that feeling and that relationship adorable. You heard me! Adorable. I thought it was impossible too, but I wThis was a big surprise, though not entirely a pleasant one.

Try imagining the most disgusting relationship in the history of mankind. Are you done yet? Need some help?

Now multiply that feeling of disgust by ten. Or even better, by a hundred. Oookay. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty nauseous here.

If you’ve got it, try thinking of a way to make that feeling and that relationship adorable. You heard me! Adorable. I thought it was impossible too, but I was very wrong. Isaac Marion actually did it.

R is a zombie. He and many others of his kind live in an old airport. A small group goes out regularly to hunt the Living. None of them remember anything from their previous lives, not even their own names. They aren't supposed to have feelings and they don’t speak. Some of them are pretty intelligent and observant, they just can't articulate thoughts into words. Here’s how our R describes them:

Eating is not a pleasant business. I chew off a man’s arm, and I hate it. I hate his screams because I don’t like pain, I don’t like hurting people, but it’s the world now. This is what we do. Of course if I don’t eat all of him, if I spare his brain, he’ll rise up and follow me back to the airport, and that might make me feel better. I’ll introduce him to everyone, and maybe we’ll stand around and groan for a while. It’s hard to say what friends are any more, but that might be close.

I don’t know why we don’t speak. I can’t explain the suffocating silence that hangs over our world, cutting us from each other like prison-visit Plexiglas. Prepositions are painful, articles are arduous, adjectives are wild overachievements. Is this muteness a real physical handicap? One of the many symptoms of being Dead? Or do we just have nothing left to say?

A love story from a zombie’s POV really isn’t for everybody. Marion’s prose is beautiful and breathtaking at times, but he describes his world in gory details. It’s often bloody, smelly and disgusting. But, as it turns out, it’s also very sweet, gentle and simply adorable.

Through the memories of a guy whose brain he ate, R falls in love with a Living girl named Julie. He soon saves Julie from other zombies and hides her in an airplane to keep her safe. Step by step, Julie helps him remember what it was like to be alive.

If you think you can handle zombies carrying pieces of brain in their pockets and other zombies trying to have sex but not quite succeeding, you should really read this book. You won’t be sorry.

Favorite quote:She smiles. Her eyes are classic novels and poetry.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

CeeceeI actually don't like gory books/movies, but I think it wasn't that bad in this book.haha

I think the book was amazing, and, yes, the spoiler isn't shoI actually don't like gory books/movies, but I think it wasn't that bad in this book.haha

I think the book was amazing, and, yes, the spoiler isn't showing for me either. ;p...more
Feb 06, 2013 06:06AM

Kevinthink about it, it would only have been disgusting if before r turns human again that he did anything with Julie, I mean what creates the exception inthink about it, it would only have been disgusting if before r turns human again that he did anything with Julie, I mean what creates the exception in the concept of twilight, Edward is still dead, idk about you but cold and lifeless skin isn't any better then rotting flesh but at least when r changes it creates the exception and then people are whatever about....more
Apr 11, 2013 10:50AM

I was quite skeptical, as well as intrigued, when I was sent "Warm Bodies" to review. I would never have imagined putting "zombie" and "romance" in the same sentence. I assumed the putrid decomposition of flesh and the eating of brains would have been a bit of a turn off.

After reading the first page I didn't know whether I would be able to take this book seriously: a zombie romance? And with quotes like these..."My friend 'M' says thie irony of bein Originally posted on my blog: Book Chick City.

I was quite skeptical, as well as intrigued, when I was sent "Warm Bodies" to review. I would never have imagined putting "zombie" and "romance" in the same sentence. I assumed the putrid decomposition of flesh and the eating of brains would have been a bit of a turn off.

After reading the first page I didn't know whether I would be able to take this book seriously: a zombie romance? And with quotes like these..."My friend 'M' says thie irony of being a zombie is that everything is funny, but you can't smile, because your lips have rotted off. "

"None of us are particularly attractive, but death has been kinder to me than some. I'm still in the early stages of decay. ..."... my lips were twitching with suppressed laughter. But after only a few more pages I wasn't laughing any more, other than from the brilliant intentional dry sense of humour which was scattered throughout the book.

"Warm Bodies" was a total surprise. I didn't expect it to be so heart-warming or to love the hero as much as I did considering he's a brain munching zombie. I knew going in that this was a book about zombie romance, but it's not in the 'paranormal romance' style. It has a bittersweet edge - along side the sweet endearing thoughts of "R" there's lots of wonderfully descriptive detail on zombies eating humans, which was completely disgusting but I loved it all the same. I was right there with "R".

The reader stays inside the mind of "R", the hero of the piece, and I say 'hero' because that's exactly what he is. He does eat people, yes, and he shuffles along with only one thought and that's to munch his way through humanity, but things begin to change for "R" when he meets Julie. Unfortunately their meeting comes at an unfortunate moment, after "R" bites down on the skull of Perry, her boyfriend.

Nobody knows what caused the dead to rise. But "R", who remembers nothing of his former life before becoming one of the living dead, has glimpses of the lives he kills when eating their brains. Memories of his victims flicker by in his mind and he treasures them. But after meeting Julie, and eating Perry, things begin to change.

With each bite of cerebrum, Perry comes alive in "R's" mind and "R" sees Perry's life from childhood until the very moment he dies. He also sees Julie as part of Perry's memories and for some reason when he comes back to reality and sees her crouching and shivering with fright against the wall, he doesn't devour her but instead takes her hand and leads her back to his home.

"R" lives in an aeroplane at an abandoned disused airport with many other zombies, they call their gathering a 'hive'. They are also organised by another creature called the 'Boney's' - they are not nice! The zombies are also hunted by the few remaining humans, one of which is Julie's father. Julie and a few thousand other humans live in a stadium and have done for many years. It's a community where children are born with soldiers protecting the parameters. Not much of a life, but survival all the same.

There's a surprising amount of action in "Warm Bodies" and the story moves at an exciting pace. And when Julie and "R" become friends something miraculous happens and everything starts to transform for zombies and humans alike. The story ends a little ambiguously for my taste, but there's hope and the promise of new beginnings.

VERDICT:

I devoured this book and enjoyed it from beginning to end. It's quite somber, but contains delicious bittersweet moments that we can identify with regarding our own humanity and mortality. This book wants to make you think about who we are, what we are and what a gift life is and how we shouldn't take it for granted. As well as lots of brraaaaaaains - nom nom! ;)...more

With the new season of The Walking Dead back on tonight, I thought I'd go back and take a look at some killer (hah) zombie fiction. The closest book to the show Walking Dead that I've read is The First Days, so if you're needing more of that gory, survivalist-type of zombie book, I'd check that one out.

This book, however, is fresh in my mind due to the author himself making some recent comments that he's not altogether thrilled about some book stores shelving his book as Young Adult instead of AWith the new season of The Walking Dead back on tonight, I thought I'd go back and take a look at some killer (hah) zombie fiction. The closest book to the show Walking Dead that I've read is The First Days, so if you're needing more of that gory, survivalist-type of zombie book, I'd check that one out.

This book, however, is fresh in my mind due to the author himself making some recent comments that he's not altogether thrilled about some book stores shelving his book as Young Adult instead of Adult fiction.

As a reader who reads both YA and adult, I was sort of put off by this. After all, don't bite the hand that feeds you, right? A big portion of readers who have gravitated toward this book are YA readers. I even found out about the book through YA friendly readers.

Does the book read like adult or YA? Well, I have it shelved as New Adult/College because the female is on the younger side (19), but the male lead is hinted at being older. I honestly think the book would work for readers of both YA and adult fiction. It's an easy read but there's nothing young feeling about the book, other than getting to dodge a bullet on some of the extraneous world building that can happen in adult books, which is a bonus in my opinion. What makes this book stand out is some of the dry humor and the amusing take on a zombie love story. This may not be a hardcore zombie book, but sometimes different is perfectly okay!

Original Non-review March 2012

Every so often, I decide to bypass writing a review, in favor of letting the book speak for itself. These quotes could probably sell you far better than my own words would.

I notice a female on the opposite conveyor. She doesn't lurch or groan like most of us; her head just lolls from side to side. I like that about her.

.....

Eating is not a pleasant business. I chew off a man's arm, and I hate it.Of course if I don't eat all of him, if I spare his brain, he'll rise up and follow me back to the airport, and that might make me feel better. I'll introduce him to everyone, and maybe we'll stand around and groan for a while.

.....

We sit against the tiles of the bathroom wall with our legs sprawled out in front of us, passing the brain back and forth, taking small, leisurely bites and enjoying brief flashes of human experience.

'Good...shit,' M wheezes.

.....

He is gaping at a late-night soft-core movie. I don't know why he does this. Erotica is meaningless for us now. The blood doesn't pump, the passion doesn't surge. I've walked in on M with his 'girlfriends' before, and they're just standing there naked, staring at each other, sometimes rubbing their bodies together but looking tired and lost.

.....

"Why is it beautiful that humanity keeps coming back? Herpes does that too."

.....

I suck in air and attempt to sing. "You're...sensational..." I croak, struggling for a trace of Frank's melody.There's a pause and then something shifts in Julie's demeanor. I realise she's laughing."Oh wow," she giggles. "That was beautiful, R, really. You and Zombie Sinatra should record Duets, Volume 2."I cough. "Didn't get...warm-up."...more

AmberHahaha 'around', I guess. I got a job in the tourist industry, some summer courses going on, and about fifteen wrenches thrown into my love life overHahaha 'around', I guess. I got a job in the tourist industry, some summer courses going on, and about fifteen wrenches thrown into my love life over the past few months. But I'm working on this, Clarissa, and Game of Thrones. Slowly and surely....more
Jun 18, 2013 03:24PM

Stacia (the 2010 club)I'm sort of jealous of people who are busy. Until I get my car fixed, I'm pretty much stuck at home during the week until I can share the other car onI'm sort of jealous of people who are busy. Until I get my car fixed, I'm pretty much stuck at home during the week until I can share the other car on the weekends. Books are starting to become overkill at the moment. :p...more
Jun 18, 2013 04:15PM

I read this book to complete the #TBRTakedown challenge of reading a book outside my comfort zone. I've never been into zombie movies and until this book, I've never read any books with zombies. Overall, I just thought this book was okay.. Some parts really grossed me out... Parts of it seemed rushed and like we didn't get to learn a lot about the world.. Or there just wasn't enough world building I suppose... I did think it was interesting and I liked the changes the main character, R, went thrI read this book to complete the #TBRTakedown challenge of reading a book outside my comfort zone. I've never been into zombie movies and until this book, I've never read any books with zombies. Overall, I just thought this book was okay.. Some parts really grossed me out... Parts of it seemed rushed and like we didn't get to learn a lot about the world.. Or there just wasn't enough world building I suppose... I did think it was interesting and I liked the changes the main character, R, went through... If you are really into zombie movies/books you'll probably like it....more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.**SPOILER ALERT**

I so wanted to like this. I read the first half very quickly and enjoyed it; I was curious to see where it was going to go. I found it initially an interesting concept - zombie as not a mindless entity. It was a little confusing with Perry, but I did appreciate the idea that zombies crave and eat the brain at least in part to relive memories. That was a new twist, for sure. As soon as I realized where the author was going with the plot, though, I started to lose interest. I mean**SPOILER ALERT**

I so wanted to like this. I read the first half very quickly and enjoyed it; I was curious to see where it was going to go. I found it initially an interesting concept - zombie as not a mindless entity. It was a little confusing with Perry, but I did appreciate the idea that zombies crave and eat the brain at least in part to relive memories. That was a new twist, for sure. As soon as I realized where the author was going with the plot, though, I started to lose interest. I mean, I get that it is hard to come up with a new take on the zombie novel, and I am all in favor of peace, love and harmony, but the idea of love being the cure to the zombie plague just made me roll my eyes. I appreciate the theme of "if we took the time to understand our enemies, we could progress toward peace" but it just didn't work for me here.

Also, the whole, painfully obvious -Romeo & Juliet- thing made me want to retch. The zombie is "R(omeo)", the girl he is in love with is Julie(t), her previous boyfriend who R eats is Perry (Paris), and R's best friend is M(ecrutio). I mean, really, obvious much?

And what's with Julie being so forgiving of R killing Perry? He killed him and ate him and she just kinda shrugs it all off? The death of the first boy she ever loved? No no no. Perry winds up being portrayed as the monster when all he's trying to do is, hello? Survive in a zombie apocalypse!! And R, the *actual* monster, gets off easy because he falls in love. Right.

Jesse KonaI remember thinking the "Juliet on the Balcony" scene was a little on-the-nose, but I had missed all the other references. Thanks for pointing that ouI remember thinking the "Juliet on the Balcony" scene was a little on-the-nose, but I had missed all the other references. Thanks for pointing that out.

The homages didn't bother me as much, but I agree that beating the monsters with love is a tired cliché....more
Mar 06, 2013 07:55PM

Kevinit wasn't as bad as you thought the idea that r changes into a human again is obviously stating that by feeling deep emotions brought him back to lifeit wasn't as bad as you thought the idea that r changes into a human again is obviously stating that by feeling deep emotions brought him back to life, the idea that he finally found something to be able to feel alive again so It created the concept of change in a physical and psychological level. also Julie only forgave r because she felt as though perry was pretty much dead inside, he didn't care about much as people would think, she felt like it was something that was bound to happen, something she felt she couldn't prevent not because she couldn't but because the decision had been made already in perrys own mind, I mean of course perry didn't intentionally kill himself but he was numb inside, he may have been human but with the way he was in the end, he might as well have been turned into a bony because he lost all hope of being a human. zombies turning back into humans means change because they regained hope in their lives, I mean you know Im sure that the bonys were zombies that felt they had nothing to live for. although the romeo and Juliet concept sucks it still is more romantic then twilight or the original romeo and Juliet story. especially because of the way r acts, even if he had not been the zombie and they still kept the same ideals at first of not being physical until the end it would still show that he actually loved Julie....more
Apr 11, 2013 11:06AM

LauraI'm glad you enjoyed it. That doesn't change how I feel about it. It was, to me, exactly as bad as I thought it was. That, you know, pretty much beingI'm glad you enjoyed it. That doesn't change how I feel about it. It was, to me, exactly as bad as I thought it was. That, you know, pretty much being the definition of "my opinion"....more
Apr 11, 2013 01:48PM

I fell in love with a zombie. There, I said it out loud and I’m not embarrassed. Isaac Marion’s novel, Warm Bodies, is a romance. Yes, a zombie romance! Now before you all get grossed out on me, hear me out. In this author’s post-zombie apocalypse world, you first meet R. R isn’t your typical zombie that shuffles around mumbling “Braaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnnssss!” until he stumbles upon his next meal. You step right into R’s shoes. In this world, zombies are dead (of course), and they are really reducedI fell in love with a zombie. There, I said it out loud and I’m not embarrassed. Isaac Marion’s novel, Warm Bodies, is a romance. Yes, a zombie romance! Now before you all get grossed out on me, hear me out. In this author’s post-zombie apocalypse world, you first meet R. R isn’t your typical zombie that shuffles around mumbling “Braaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnnssss!” until he stumbles upon his next meal. You step right into R’s shoes. In this world, zombies are dead (of course), and they are really reduced to the basic human needs, like food, love, companionship. But these zombies think and wax poetic about the important things in life (or afterlife in zombies’ case), but it's all inside their head since they can only utter monosyllabic words. Zombies group together in hives, where they socialize, form hunting groups to bring back kills for those unable to hunt for themselves, adopt babies and even get married.

The main character, R is a zombie first and foremost. Although he isn’t as decayed as some of the others, he can’t remember much of his life. He can’t even remember his name, only that it started with an R. His hive is a dilapidated airport that has sporadic electricity. One of his favorite things to do is ride the moving walkways back and forth, thinking about the meaning of things that he can’t verbalize. He has made an airplane into his own little home, where he collects records and other memorabilia that he finds on hunting trips.

It is on one of these hunting trips from the airport into the nearest big city that R stumbles upon a small group of humans that are out on a scavenging trip at a pharmaceutical business. Once inside, they overtake the small group and R kills a teenage guy named Perry. In Marian’s zombie verse, the zombies actually get a glimpse of the human’s thoughts and memories when they eat the brain. Once R consumes a small part of Perry’s brain, he has vivid flashes of Perry’s memory, especially Perry’s girlfriend Julie. She happens to be on the salvaging trip along with a few others. Surprised by these new feelings that he has for this human, he brings Julie back to the airport to protect her.

But Julie isn’t the only thing that R brings back with him. He’s pocketed Perry’s brain and he slowly doles out portions to himself so he can savor the feelings and memories of Julie. As R spends more time with Julie, he slowly starts to gain some of his humanity back, starting with speech. Throughout the novel, you get to know Perry through each little piece of him that R consumes. You also learn that zombies can be pretty articulate inside their head, but they can’t verbalize it so much.

Some things are standard in tales of zombies, such as moaning, blood and guts, mindless hunger. But Isaac Marion doesn’t dwell on these items; he lets you see just how complex a zombie really can be. Throughout R’s growing relationship with Julie, the author explores how humanizing love can be, even when you’re surrounded by constant death and decay. And no matter how trapped inside yourself you are, there’s always a way to come back into the world of the living.

R and Julie’s story is probably the strangest, creepiest, yet sweetest and most hopeful thing I’ve come across in ages. You see, WARM BODIES is a zombie romance, literally. Instead of the expected survivors falling for each other given the end of days shtick, we have an actual zombie love story. The concept had me questioning would I buy it? Or better yet, would Julie? Even if the background was not as clearly explained as I want it to be, MAN, would I like to pick the brain of the person behindR and Julie’s story is probably the strangest, creepiest, yet sweetest and most hopeful thing I’ve come across in ages. You see, WARM BODIES is a zombie romance, literally. Instead of the expected survivors falling for each other given the end of days shtick, we have an actual zombie love story. The concept had me questioning would I buy it? Or better yet, would Julie? Even if the background was not as clearly explained as I want it to be, MAN, would I like to pick the brain of the person behind this story!

His zombie world reminded me of Tom Imura in R&R. Tom 'quiets' the undead for those left behind. Marion kicks the concept of suffering creatures up a couple of notches. Here zombies, dead though they may be, retain a semblance of their past lives. I repeat: a semblance. Take any normal human thing and reduce it to its most basic. Zombies love, zombies crave and hunger… and as R establishes, zombies think.. (a lot.)

But that isn’t even the most interesting bit! Let me back up, the zombies offered up in this one can be summed up thus, You are what you eat. Well, sort of. When they consume, they see catch flickers of their victims’ memories and experiences. With that concept in place, we meet R the MC-zombie who surprisingly waxes on and on about his/their existence, being. Driven by some inexplicable anger, he leads his fellow undead on a hunt where he meets then eats Perry. The surprise is Perry’s memories are sharper and clearer to R than anything he had previously, uh… consumed. It is Perry’s memories, that compel him to protect Julie, the deceased’s girlfriend. It gets weirder, I promise.

The confusing in a cool way parts involved R re-living/ remembering Perry. So all at once, we see one of them spiral into apathy, and the other (R) regain bits and pieces of his humanity. This was probably the most interesting thing for me. My problem was R’s waxing poetic/philosophical about the situation, purple prose. But seeing Perry lose hope through R’s eyes was a rather unique experience. I could definitely feel R’s confusion about what he saw, but Perry’s dissatisfaction/apathy came across loud and clear too.

So here are three things I’m paraphrasing form WARM BODIES to describe it and how it made me feel: I felt confused. I felt afraid. YET I anticipated; I wanted to know what was in store for them.

The Gist:

The biggest CON, apparently the musings of a zombie tend toward purple. Fortunately, I encountered PRO’s a-plenty to have me continue.

HOLY. MOTHER. OF. ALL. THAT. IS. GORGEOUS.Could any amount of my insignificant words fully encompass the greatness of this book? The answer here is no, no because the words printed on each copy of Warm Bodies are already tuned to a vast perfection greater than the sky itself. Isaac Marion..I applaud you, I give you ten million standing ovations, I declare you to be a masterUpdate: Just saw movie trailer....i laughed out loud...and squealed. Here is the link ---> http://youtu.be/qrI8YIZsBok

HOLY. MOTHER. OF. ALL. THAT. IS. GORGEOUS.Could any amount of my insignificant words fully encompass the greatness of this book? The answer here is no, no because the words printed on each copy of Warm Bodies are already tuned to a vast perfection greater than the sky itself. Isaac Marion..I applaud you, I give you ten million standing ovations, I declare you to be a master of words, an enchanter of souls, a rainbow at the end of a hurricane. Dear God and all the deities that exist, Mr. Marion...is such a truly, inexplicably, amazing writer.

"Are my words ever actually audible, or do they just echo in my head while people stare at me, waiting? I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I’m drowning in ellipses."

I suppose that from my opening paragraph you all have it pretty clear that I REALLY liked this book, but not for the reasons you may think. Let me start off with a summary of the plot so I can go into more detail on why I fell in love with this book. Alright, so Warm Bodies is sort of a Romeo&Juliet meets Twilight meets a zombie apocalypse meets universal human truth and philosophy. R, a zombie introduces us to an apocalyptic world, where everything is going to shit and zombies go around eating the brains of the living. R gets the munchies one day and goes off to get some dinner with his best friend M; R ends up eating the brains of a young guy named Perry. Something crucial to the storyline is the fact that zombies need to eat people to stay alive, they also like eating the brains because they get to sort of "see" the memories of the person who's brain they are eating. Turns out Perry has a girlfriend named Julie, so when R eats Perry's brain he gets flashbacks that make him want to keep Julie safe. He takes her back to his house to protect her from the rest of the zombies and then things start getting weird, and confusing, and beautiful, and new and I wont ruin it so this is all you get (haha). I have to admit that the plot is very original. Zombies are painted in a very different light in this book, being described more as "humans with diseases" rather than a "spawn of the dead" type thing. Right from the beginning I knew I wasn't going to sleep until I finished this book. I read for 4 hours straight. I regret nothing.

"Outside our walls were hordes of men and monsters eager to steal what we had, and inside was our own mad stew, so many cultures and languages and incompatible values packed into one tiny box. Our world was too small to share peacefully; consensus never came, harmony was impossible. So we adjusted our goals."

What you have to understand here is that while I did think the plot was amazingly original it is not what drew me in and gripped my heart. What has me reeling and panting from the book high is the style, the content, the ideas that the author incorporated into this piece of literature that should be taught in schools, read by millions and shared by the world. Put the zombie-human-romance aside and you get the huge question of existence. Why are we here? Who the hell are we? What is the purpose of us getting up every damn morning if our lives are doomed to end? What does the name we are given do for our identity? If the world went to hell, would we fight to get it back or would we let it rot along with us? These answerless questions are all brought to the surface by this book. The author takes no prisoners. He makes us analyze our humanity without us even noticing. The style of writing is breath-taking. The way this author uses words to display emotion and thought and even action is something few authors can do. Its raw talent and polished training all at once.

"Underdeveloped, murky, faded to sepia like centuries-old film, scenes from my old life flicker in the void of sleep. Amorphous figures walk through melting doorways into shadowy rooms. Voices crawl through my head, deep and slurring like drunken giants. I play ambiguous sports, I watch incoherent movies, I talk and laugh with anonymous blurs."

If this book had just been about a zombie who falls in love with a girl I would have probably given it 3 stars...but this book is hardly as simple as that. Its lyrical. It flows. It describes so much in such a compact space. This book is one big metaphor that you start discovering as you read. Its the "Who are you and what made you?" question that envelops the characters. The awkward pull of feeling warmth towards something that should cause repulsion. The ying and yang of all we are, all we hope to be, and all we will ever be.

"We will cry and bleed and lust and love, and we will cure death. We will be the cure. Because we want it."

Not all of you will get as intertwined as I did with this book, but I do recommend it. You don't have to sit there and philosophically analyze it if you don't want, it is a very entertaining read regardless. The movie also comes out February 2013 so I'm looking forward to that. I loved this book, I think everyone should definitely read it. And I could write so much more but this is already a freaking novel I will just control myself and stop. For now...I'll go to bed and dream of zombies who are capable of love...and humans who are so flawed it can't help but be beautiful....more

When I first got my hands on Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion I was thrilled. The story seemed original with its zombie-plot, but my idea of this novel changed quite a bit after a while. I did enjoy the story and I probably will if I ever decide to pick it up again, but the story is not original at all. Instead it echoes Shakespeare.

Warm Bodies is more like a post-apocalyptic version of Romeo and Juliet where Romeo kills Paris and marries Juliet. In Isaac Marion's version R kills Perry who is tryingWhen I first got my hands on Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion I was thrilled. The story seemed original with its zombie-plot, but my idea of this novel changed quite a bit after a while. I did enjoy the story and I probably will if I ever decide to pick it up again, but the story is not original at all. Instead it echoes Shakespeare.

Warm Bodies is more like a post-apocalyptic version of Romeo and Juliet where Romeo kills Paris and marries Juliet. In Isaac Marion's version R kills Perry who is trying to protect his girlfriend Julie. When I first discovered this I was stunned. Shakespeare probably had some inspiration from Tristan and Isolde but at least he was smart enough to make the love story is own.

If you are a fan of young adult novels or like zombie love stories, Warm Bodies might be just right for you. Also, anybody can mange to read 241 pages, but I would recommend everyone to read Shakespeare instead. ...more

Heather DunlopWarm bodies is SUPPOSED to be a version of Romeo & Juliet. R - Romeo, Julie - Juliet, Marcus- Mercucio, Perry- Paris. I love how it is a zombie veWarm bodies is SUPPOSED to be a version of Romeo & Juliet. R - Romeo, Julie - Juliet, Marcus- Mercucio, Perry- Paris. I love how it is a zombie version of Romeo & Juliet but it has it's own style and quirkiness to it. I think that's the charm. How many Cinderella versions do we have? Why not a different take on Romeo & Juliet, then?...more
Jul 26, 2014 01:47AM

Anne NikolineI'm glad you enjoyed this version of Romeo and Juliet. It just didn't work for me.
Jul 26, 2014 01:50AM

After seeing the movie trailer starring Nicholas Hoult (IMDb page here), I had to read this one. Dark and violent (as expected of apocalyptic zombie fiction), it had the quirky humor and insight of a young-man-on-a-quest-for-a-better-version-of-himself novel as well. Given that the narrator isn't a human survivor, but a zombie who struggles to remember anything of his former self (let alone having any idea how to transform into some newer version), there was lots of inner monologue from "R" (thaAfter seeing the movie trailer starring Nicholas Hoult (IMDb page here), I had to read this one. Dark and violent (as expected of apocalyptic zombie fiction), it had the quirky humor and insight of a young-man-on-a-quest-for-a-better-version-of-himself novel as well. Given that the narrator isn't a human survivor, but a zombie who struggles to remember anything of his former self (let alone having any idea how to transform into some newer version), there was lots of inner monologue from "R" (that's all he can recall of his name). R is possibly the most unlikely romantic hero ever, who in a fit of - confused human compassion? - claims a human girl and saves her from a zombie hoard... which he was, moments before, leading. I didn't want to put it down. I'll be interested to see what Hollywood does to this story, and how Hoult brings R to life (pun intended...)....more

I'm so freakin excited to be starting this!!! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a love for all things zombies. So when my sis told me about a zombie romance, I said hell yeah I need to read this!!! I'm ready for some Zombie love!! Buddy read with Marta, Brenda and Rosanna! **********************************************************

I only read this book because I was expecting blood, gore and mild necrophilia.

Instead, I got a beautifully poetic book full of immaculately developed characters and gorgeous prose that demolished the well-worn cliches of zombie literature and everything I thought I knew about those old shufflers.

I used to avoid any zombie movies or novels before reading Warm Bodies Well I still believe zombies are creepy but this book shook my thoughts upside down. This book taught us about being human. Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus, a human body is constructed of flesh and bone with warm blood flowing through our artery and vein, our heart beats at 60/RR interval in seconds. Then why are we so different from these living dead zombies??? Because we have feelings, we smile when weI used to avoid any zombie movies or novels before reading Warm Bodies Well I still believe zombies are creepy but this book shook my thoughts upside down. This book taught us about being human. Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus, a human body is constructed of flesh and bone with warm blood flowing through our artery and vein, our heart beats at 60/RR interval in seconds. Then why are we so different from these living dead zombies??? Because we have feelings, we smile when we are happy, we cry when we are in pain, our brain is a collection of memories, of both joy and sorrows.

Warm Bodies is a sensitive love story of a young zombie R and a human girl Julie with a music of pensive sadness, that will cause a sensation as of things crawling on your skin. We have always come across Zombie novel such as Reapers Are The angels or Feed, which were creepy and violent. Well Warm bodies is a creepy story but in a sweet way. That’s what made this book unique.

“My friend ‘M’ says the irony of being a zombie is that everything is funny, but you can’t smile, because your lips have rotted off.”?

The author did a splendid job by narrating the story from the point of view of R. Going through R’s life was a surprising experience of how it’s like to be a Zombie. Human bodies are sustenance for a zombie, an appetite for their survival. No matter how much R feels guilty, he has to set upon the living and eat. R is disturbed, wistful and humorous at the same time. I believe no zombie book was ever pictured those sides of a Zombie life.

A Quick Look

When R killed Perry, a human boy, he accidentally ate his brain, and felt an impulsive urge to save Perry’s girlfriend Julie. When R saved her , he brought her with him to his abandoned plane to keep her safe.Warm Bodies was revolved around R and Julie, from the very beginning of their friendship until they found their way to each other. The entire story was broken into several glimpses of Perry’s memory, each moment Perry lives including the images of his times with Julie. R felt the same affection and protectiveness towards Julie, even when back to reality, he hold her hand with tight grip of assurance and warmth. The romance was quite impossible considering R isn’t exactly alive, neither he’s dead, still he felt full of life and spirit after he met Julie. So does other zombies, some miracle happened and they started to feel the vibration of life like a human. The book ended with a hope of brave new world and promising future but was not I expected, it was equivocal and unsatisfactory for me, like there should have been something more. The book is action packed regarding the fact that both Zombies and humans are hunting each others for their own existence. Zombies are eating humans and their bites are infectious where the remaining humans are also hunting down Zombies from being overwhelmed. Sadly Julie’s father is one of them who believe Zombies don’t deserve to be back to their normal human life. Stuck these two sides it was really hard for R to be with Julie and keep her safe. If they stayed in aero plane area, zombies would kill Julie, if they went to civilization, humans would track down R and kill him.

I would like to say:

Please do not judge the story from technical point of view, then romance between a Zombie and a Human would seem very unrealistic. Consider the book as an impressive example of modern literature and try to find the hidden moral of humanity behind the story which would lead you to a deep thinking about giving values to your life.

I'm sorry I can't properly introduce myself, but I don't have a name any more. Hardly any of us do. We lose them like car keys, forget them like anniversaries. Mine might have started with an 'R', but that's all I have for now.

None of us are particularly attractive, but death has been kinder to me than some. I'm still in the early stages of decay. Just the grey skin, the unpleasant smell, the dark circles under my eyes. I could almost pass for a Living man in need of a vacation.

Isaac Marion's deI'm sorry I can't properly introduce myself, but I don't have a name any more. Hardly any of us do. We lose them like car keys, forget them like anniversaries. Mine might have started with an 'R', but that's all I have for now.

None of us are particularly attractive, but death has been kinder to me than some. I'm still in the early stages of decay. Just the grey skin, the unpleasant smell, the dark circles under my eyes. I could almost pass for a Living man in need of a vacation.

Isaac Marion's debut novel is narrated by a zombie named R. He isn't your typical zombie with a single-minded craving for yummy yummy brains; he has thoughts, feelings, a conscience, and most importantly, love. After falling head over heels for a human named Julie, R starts a chain of events that might change the world forever.

Warm Bodies (the book) was released in 2011. It's prequel (which I read first), The New Hunger, wasn't released until 2013. The books are very different and do not have to be read in order. The New Hunger is narrated from the perspective of the survivor trying to adjust and survive in the world during/after the Zombie Apocalypse. Warm Bodies on the other hand is narrated from the perspective of one of the living dead. The two books work well together in telling the full apocalypse story.

The thing I love most about both of these books is their eloquently written and smooth flowing narrative. Marion's writing is simply poetic.

First, you have the humor:

“I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I'm drowning in ellipses.”

“My friend "M" says the irony of being a zombie is that everything is funny, but you can't smile, because your lips have rotted off.”

To the more thought provoking:

“I am dead, but it's not so bad. I've learned to live with it. ”

These words express so well what it means to be a zombie: to live in an eternal state of apathy, not alive, not truly dead, just there.

“The past is made out of facts...I guess the future is just hope.”

“It frustrates and fascinates me that we'll never know for sure, that despite the best efforts of historians and scientists and poets, there are some things we'll just never know. What the first song sounded like. How it felt to see the first photograph. Who kissed the first kiss, and if it was any good.”

R's chronicles of life, surprisingly articulate and thoughtful for an undead, soon lead us to the realization that, for R at least, there is still hope for a revival of the human spirit.

“There's no benchmark for how life's "supposed" to happen. There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, it's up to you how you respond to it.”

Such symbolism throughout the novel leaves readers with more than one new perspective on the shape of today's society, and on what really matters in day-to-day life.

The spread of the zombie virus, although medical in theory, perhaps is just another way of personifying what happens when we allow ourselves to be governed by things which do not matter, and, in effect, become no more than human shells acting out a life of falsehood, always in search of external, spiritless rewards.

In 2013 Warm Bodies (the movie), was released. After finishing the book, I moved on to the movie, and it is a pretty good adaptation of Marion's work.

R - played by Nicholas Hoult (who you may remember as the child in the movie About A Boy)

If you crave zombie stories like zombies crave brains, you should have read this book yesterday. But if shambling, decaying, bloodthirsty creatures of horror aren't necessarily your thing, there's still plenty to enjoy about Warm Bodies.

So before you shamble off to the couch to stare blankly at a television screen and feast on warm, buttered brains popcorn, pick up the book and read Warm Bodies and experience a zombie story with brains and heart.

(This is my last review for books read in 2013. Thanks to all of you who have liked and commented on my reviews. Best wishes for a joyous, fun and informative reading year in 2014.)...more

Florence (Lefty) MacIntoshbest wishes for 2014 to you as well Lynda - and when I do get a craving to read a great Zombie book (I do like to mix it up) I'll give this a go:)
Jan 05, 2014 04:20PM

LyndaFlorence (Lefty) wrote: "best wishes for 2014 to you as well Lynda - and when I do get a craving to read a great Zombie book (I do like to mix it up)Florence (Lefty) wrote: "best wishes for 2014 to you as well Lynda - and when I do get a craving to read a great Zombie book (I do like to mix it up) I'll give this a go:)"

I enjoy mixing it up a little too Florence. The reward has been an introduction to some wonderful books and authors....more
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Jan 05, 2014 09:29PM

I read Warm Bodies not long after it released back in 2011, so it’s been quite some time ago. When I heard there was going to be a movie I was really excited because I enjoyed it so much. I watched the movie just a few days ago. So I thought this would be a perfect time to do a mini review mash up of both the book and the movie.

The movie as far as book adaptations was surprisingly good. I’m always waiting to be disappointed by movie adaptations, but this was not the case here. There were some oI read Warm Bodies not long after it released back in 2011, so it’s been quite some time ago. When I heard there was going to be a movie I was really excited because I enjoyed it so much. I watched the movie just a few days ago. So I thought this would be a perfect time to do a mini review mash up of both the book and the movie.

The movie as far as book adaptations was surprisingly good. I’m always waiting to be disappointed by movie adaptations, but this was not the case here. There were some omissions in the movie, like R having his zombie wife and kids, but to be honest I didn’t care for that part of the story anyhow, so I was good with that.

When the story opens up we’re introduced to R and the story is told through his eyes, as a zombie barely remembering anything of his past when he was living. We’re not sure what exactly brought about this post apocalyptic world because R can’t remember, and we only get what comes through his perspective, which at first is pretty limited being a zombie and all! His “life” is basically monotonous and he’s finding it harder and harder to form coherent thoughts. This all changes when on R’s on a hunt for “food” (yes, unfortunately we’re talking about brains) and he comes in contact with Julie, a human trying to survive. Julie and her group are looking for provisions when R’s group attacks. As soon as R sees Julie something wakes up in him that causes him to save her. The more he’s around her the more his mind clears and the more he falls for her.

I remember when I first heard Warm Bodies was a zombie love story I was skeptical because, I mean gross, right? Who wants to think of kissing a corpse? But trust me, this works. It’s a wonderful build of romance, filled with longing and sweetness.

As with any zombie tale there were some frightening scenes and those were provided by the zombies but mostly from the creatures called the Boney’s; zombies that have descended far past humanity. Horrifying, fast, and intent on one thing: eating flesh! These were excellently portrayed in the movie and provided exciting suspense filled scenes.

Since I read this as an audiobook, I can't go back and share any quotes. [UPDATE: I have since wised up and started routinely checking out library print copies of my audio fare.] Which is a shame, since Warm Bodies is unexpectedly poetic for a zombie novel. It's also quite humorous.

If you've seen the movie: The book is significantly different enough to be worth a go. The relationship between R and Julie's boyfriend is deeper and more important in the book than in the movie. The "boneys" are symbSince I read this as an audiobook, I can't go back and share any quotes. [UPDATE: I have since wised up and started routinely checking out library print copies of my audio fare.] Which is a shame, since Warm Bodies is unexpectedly poetic for a zombie novel. It's also quite humorous.

If you've seen the movie: The book is significantly different enough to be worth a go. The relationship between R and Julie's boyfriend is deeper and more important in the book than in the movie. The "boneys" are symbolic of unquestioned religious authority in the book, rather than the pure evil of a complete loss of humanity they symbolize in the movie.

Surprisingly, Hollywood's take on this story is more feminist than the novelist's. In the book, when R first sees Julie, she's crouched down and her boyfriend's trying to protect her. In the movie -- well, anyone who's seen it remembers that wonderful slow-mo moment when R is dazzled by Julie swinging her weapon with an expert hand and a ferocious glare.

Similarly, in the novel the narrator constantly refers to Julie's physical fragility, and is charmed by it. In the movie, R admires and relies on Julie's strength.

The book is bleaker but still has a happy ending -- not quite as rosy as the movie's, but philosophically along the same lines. Both book and movie are very concerned with the human causes of the zombie plague, and in both book and movie the science is pretty much nonexistent and you really shouldn't care. It's all symbolism and a sweet story of love among the corpses. Just relax and enjoy the ride....more

Yep, just imagine a post-apocalyptic earth, where almost everyone you knew is dead or a living dead.Where in order to survive people are gathered in stadiums,to seek refuge and to train to survive.

Now imagine, the zombies. People who used to be like us but because of the curse or this virus, they become someone else. They had to feed on the living, they don't remember their name, what they used to be, or even to talk.

And here enters R , our hero or I must say, our aPrepare yourselves for the...

Yep, just imagine a post-apocalyptic earth, where almost everyone you knew is dead or a living dead.Where in order to survive people are gathered in stadiums,to seek refuge and to train to survive.

Now imagine, the zombies. People who used to be like us but because of the curse or this virus, they become someone else. They had to feed on the living, they don't remember their name, what they used to be, or even to talk.

And here enters R , our hero or I must say, our anti-hero.This unique story is told on the perspective of our favorite zombie and I guarantee you'll have a blast going in this journey with him.Oh yes, this book is full of a dark humor that will amuse you to no end!

So R is from the beginning a different kind of zombie,he thinks is sad that he doesn't remember his name and he does have a great taste in music!One day, while raiding to find some living ones (view spoiler)[ and eating the brain of Julie's former boyfriend, and gaining his memories (hide spoiler)] , he sees Julie and everything changes!

He starts changing...

What does it mean that my past is a fog but my present is brilliant, bursting with sound and colour? Since I became Dead I've recorded new memories with the fidelity of an old cassette deck, faint and muffled and ultimately forgettable. But I can recall every hour of the last few days in vivid detail, and the thought of losing a single one horrifies me.

it's like he is reversing the curse. He is feeling and he is falling for her. Julie. He must keep her safe.

And it seems that R and Julie may be the key and the hope of them all...

" It doesn't matter. We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next.""But can we choose that?""I don't know.""We're Dead. can we really choose anything?""Maybe. If we want to bad enough."

I just LOVED IT!It's really a one of a kind book, just such an original story.I must confess that I'm not a fan of zombie stories (or movies), the ones that I do like are the ones that make humor out of it (like Shaun of the Dead, one of the bests ever!!).And this one doesn't disappoint, the humor in it is just great!However, we still have the brutality and the violence in those stories, it's definitely not sugar coated. Besides the obvious "battles" between zombies vs living, we get the devastating impact it have on the survivals. The people they lost, the way of life they had or even just the hope of freedom.Yes, people don't live anymore, they just survive. Almost anyone read anymore or do anything besides training or gathering food.It does make you think if it's worthy surviving if you're not truly living. If everyone forgets what it means to be human, or to feel anything besides fear.

"The world that birthed that story is long gone, all it's people are dead, but it continues to touch the present and future because someone cared enough about that world to keep it. To put it in words. To remember it."

I read this because I dislike watching the movie before reading the original material. Moving on now.My theme word for this one is 'potential'. I knew the premise, I watched the trailer, I saw the glowing praise from Stephenie Meyer of all people emblazoned on the back cover. Basically, I knew what I was getting myself into.True to expectations, it wasn't the most masterfully written thing under the sun. I've never read 'On the Road', but it was obvious that the author had. Waxing on in attemptsI read this because I dislike watching the movie before reading the original material. Moving on now.My theme word for this one is 'potential'. I knew the premise, I watched the trailer, I saw the glowing praise from Stephenie Meyer of all people emblazoned on the back cover. Basically, I knew what I was getting myself into.True to expectations, it wasn't the most masterfully written thing under the sun. I've never read 'On the Road', but it was obvious that the author had. Waxing on in attempts at profound imagery that both occurred too frequently and too often dumbed themselves down with the word 'like'. Mr. Marion, I would advise you to make friends with metaphor before simile cripples all your pretty meanderings.As for the characters, forgiveness and trust seemed to come a little too easily to people whose lives had been completely ripped apart by a terrifying menace. Perhaps they really were approaching zen master level in terms of valuing the bigger picture over the smaller things, but that's not something you can just throw out there and not expect people to question. Especially when you're talking about teenagers dealing with zombies. In this particular scenario, I'd say that hormones didn't make people THAT stupid, but then again. You really never know with those sorts of things.This book did have its savings points though. You have no idea how nice it was to realize that the author wasn't going to throw out yet another 'reasonable' cause of the zombie plague. It's hard to take the arguments over the scientific accuracy of different methods of raising the dead seriously. A method isn't valid if it only abuses some of the branches of scientific thought instead of all of them. Please. So I was happy when this book bypassed all that and settled itself for some old fashioned hand wavey magic. I mean, it's zombies. Reanimating themselves through love. Give it a rest.And last but not least, it may be a love story, it may be young adult, but there were some awfully nasty scenes and quite a lot of foul language. Also mentions of suicidal depression and questioning of the real line between the living dead and desensitized living. If I have to give credit to the author for one thing, it's the realistically hellish scenes and thought patterns that he delved into every so often. Now, if he could just do that more often, and tighten his prose and characterization a bit, there may be hope for him in the literary world yet....more

Daya JesseeI always love to read the books before the movies, and critique every single detial that isnt from the book. Sadly, I have to read the book after. ButI always love to read the books before the movies, and critique every single detial that isnt from the book. Sadly, I have to read the book after. But is it worth reading after the movie???...more
Mar 10, 2013 06:35AM

I swear, right now, the words escape me, the words I wish I could say that would reveal just how brilliant and lovely this novel is. Damn it, man, this book had no business being so damned good, so alive.

Okay, I found the words. Hit it.

The zombie canon gets hit with a much-needed curveball across the chin, courtesy of first-time novelist Isaac Marion: what if zombies actually had feelings, feelings of ambivalence and longing inside, while dead on the outside? Warm Bodies tackles that head on, wI swear, right now, the words escape me, the words I wish I could say that would reveal just how brilliant and lovely this novel is. Damn it, man, this book had no business being so damned good, so alive.

Okay, I found the words. Hit it.

The zombie canon gets hit with a much-needed curveball across the chin, courtesy of first-time novelist Isaac Marion: what if zombies actually had feelings, feelings of ambivalence and longing inside, while dead on the outside? Warm Bodies tackles that head on, with stunning results. We learn to love R., our zombie hero, with his fondness for Sinatra and his desire for some kind of emotional connection that he, at first, seems incapable of, but then learns otherwise. But R. is a zombie, after all, and a zombie must feed in order to sustain.

When R. and his zombie co-horts attack a group of the living, R. takes a bite out of a young man's brain...and suddenly the young man's memories become his. From the memories of Perry Kelvin, R. makes a stunning choice that runs contrary to his zombie instincts: he begins a tense and awkward relationship with Perry's girlfriend, Julie. And so begins a bizarre love story, tentative at first, then fully accepting, as both R. and Julie learn that their own survival, and the survival of what's left of the human race, is dependent upon each other's trust and understanding.

Marion's a skilled story teller, with a powerful narrative voice. Through R., Marion's use of first-person narrative places us inside R.'s mind; he's a zombie, but a monster deserving of our sympathy. The strength of this novel lies in Marion's ability to make a seemingly one-dimensional character come alive.

Fuck me, this is a beautiful novel. Sweet and sentimental, funny and tender, and harrowing and pretty damned scary at times. It's a novel that unashamedly wears its heart on its sleeve, and, cynics be damned, it reminds us that love does conquer all, even if it's love between the living and the undead.

Read this one, even if you don't care for the zombie canon. You won't be disappointed. If you are, well, then, fuck you. Go read some high-brow shit, you elitist literary snob, you.

Once the world used to be perfect, they believed. There was no High and Low classes.

They believed in that world. That is why they fell in love. They don't believe in such differences. They can be overcome. Surely.

The Low class had a myth that once they were not so. Men were equal. They hoped for a cure that will come one day that will cure the society and save them.

"You can't dream." Vs "You can be whatever you want."

The Low class were seen as animals by the High class. Her dad would never allow this to happen. Besides the low class have their own crazed leaders. They would not allow it either. The odds were stacked.

s.penkevichAh, yeah, I could see how it would make a good short story. I saw a preview for the DVD release last night, and it was just out in theaters a few montAh, yeah, I could see how it would make a good short story. I saw a preview for the DVD release last night, and it was just out in theaters a few months ago so I take it the film wasn't all that successful. We did sell a ton of copies of the movie-tie-in edition though when it was coming out, so I guess at least it made some publishers happy (just not readers ha)...more
Jun 02, 2013 09:33AM

Riku Sayujs.penkevich wrote: "Ah, yeah, I could see how it would make a good short story. I saw a preview for the DVD release last night, and it was just out ins.penkevich wrote: "Ah, yeah, I could see how it would make a good short story. I saw a preview for the DVD release last night, and it was just out in theaters a few months ago so I take it the film wasn't all that su..."

We? Are you running a bookstore part-time or something?...more
Jun 02, 2013 09:58AM

Beautiful. A very unique and beautiful retelling of Romeo & Juliet. It left me with a smile on my face. It was heartwarming, lyrical, deep and profound. Something I did not expected.

This doesn't feel like a zombie book at all. I mean it is full with gory creatures that are hungry for brains but it is much more than that. The whole book is a parallelism that represents a very strong message: Happiness is hidden in the smallest things-Live your life to the fullest. Oh, and don't forget: It isBeautiful. A very unique and beautiful retelling of Romeo & Juliet. It left me with a smile on my face. It was heartwarming, lyrical, deep and profound. Something I did not expected.

This doesn't feel like a zombie book at all. I mean it is full with gory creatures that are hungry for brains but it is much more than that. The whole book is a parallelism that represents a very strong message: Happiness is hidden in the smallest things-Live your life to the fullest. Oh, and don't forget: It is never too late. Sometimes we tend to forget that....more

Isaac Marion is a young hermit living in Seattle with his beard and his cat, starving, hysterical, naked. His first novel, WARM BODIES, was adapted into a film in 2013. A prequel novella, THE NEW HUNGER, will be released some time in 2015, and he is currently working on an absurdly ambitious concluding volume, which will hopefully be released late 2015 or early 2016. And he will let you in on a liIsaac Marion is a young hermit living in Seattle with his beard and his cat, starving, hysterical, naked. His first novel, WARM BODIES, was adapted into a film in 2013. A prequel novella, THE NEW HUNGER, will be released some time in 2015, and he is currently working on an absurdly ambitious concluding volume, which will hopefully be released late 2015 or early 2016. And he will let you in on a little secret: no one wrote this bio about him. He is writing it in third person, pretending to be some raving publicist or besotted fan for some reason of ancient and baffling literary convention. He is me. Hello, I'm Isaac, hello....more